


Same Boots!

by robotpuppy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Flirting, Barista Keith (Voltron), Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk (Voltron)-centric, If You Squint - Freeform, Kinda, M/M, Pining Hunk (Voltron), Some characters are only mentioned - Freeform, Wingman Lance (Voltron), and i havent watched voltron in like 3 years, background allurance, i wrote this in comic sans, sorry if this is ooc this is my first fic ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:41:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28989396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robotpuppy/pseuds/robotpuppy
Summary: “Uh. Enjoy your coffee."“Thanks. You too… Buddy.”Before he could dig a deeper hole, Hunk felt himself being led away to one of the tables, most likely by Lance. And honestly? Thank the gods for that.
Relationships: Hunk/Keith (Voltron)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 30





	Same Boots!

**Author's Note:**

> hi !! this is my first ever fic !! i usually just write oc stuff so i know that this is TOTALLY ooc and awkward but, like the tags say, i have literally not watched voltron since like 2017 i think?? anyways im probably gonna rewatch most of it so that i can get a better feel for the characters and everything because i'm totally planning on revivng the heith tag even if i have to do it myself :) anyways, without further ado, here's my obligatory coffee shop au

When Lance had first suggested that they get coffee out rather than brewing at home like usual, Hunk was understandably a little confused. But he agreed regardless, figuring that there would be no harm in humoring his friend like this. That being said, when the two of them walked through the doors of the Juniberry Cafe and received a warm greeting from none other than Allura, every bit of surprise that had been left over left him in an instant. As it would turn out, Allura had recently gotten a job at the little coffee shop and Lance had been wanting to visit her ever since (later he would claim that it was necessary for all of his  _ coffee shop AU  _ dreams to come true, whatever that meant). 

“Hello Lance. Hunk,” Allura greeted with a bright smile as the two of them made it to the counter. “How can I help you today?”

“I certainly know how you could help  _ me, _ ” Lance started, only to be ever so gently elbowed by Hunk. Allura seemed to stifle a laugh, shaking her head.

“We’re here for coffee, not flirting,” Hunk reminded him, although he was half-joking. He knew how whipped Lance was for Allura. Who was he to deny him of his right to flirt? Well, in this case, he supposed a caffeine addict. 

“If that’s how it’s gonna be, I guess we’ll just be getting drinks.  _ For now, _ ” Lance said with a cheesy grin, accompanied by a wink and his signature finger guns. Allura didn’t bother masking her clear amusement this time, allowing a soft giggle to slip out. 

“Alright, alright. What can I get you boys to drink?” She asked, glancing from Lance up to Hunk.

“I’ll take a medium butterscotch latte,” Lance said, squinting a bit at the menu board. “Please.”

“Of course.” Allura tapped away at her little screen before looking up at Hunk expectantly.

“Same for me, please.”

Allura tapped at the screen once again before their total popped up on the card reader. “That’ll be $8.50,” she said as the printer spit out a short piece of what looked like receipt paper. Lance paid, as that had been one of his arguments to get Hunk to the cafe in the first place. Not that he needed much convincing in the first place. Allura handed the paper off to her coworker, who, in all honesty, Hunk was very much surprised that he hadn’t noticed before.

“Hey, Keith, we’ve got two medium butterscotch lattes.”

The barista-Keith, he supposed-took the paper from Allura with a mere hum in response. He didn’t even spare them a glance as he grabbed cups and started preparing their drinks. Hunk was almost sure that he heard Lance mumble something akin to  _ wow, asshole much? _ under his breath. And yet, Hunk couldn’t help but watch, his curiosity getting the best of him as his eyes followed the way that the barista moved along to make their drinks. At the very least, his movements were practiced, if not rather skilled. Upon further observation, Hunk could see that his raven black hair was long enough to be tied up into a small pony tail that hung at the base of his neck, swishing along as he moved. The only thing that snapped Hunk out of his thoughts was hearing a voice call  _ butterscotch lattes for Lance and Hunk? _ He didn’t even register that it was Keith who had said it. 

“Thanks, man,” Lance said, grabbing his drink. 

Hunk might’ve gotten a  _ little  _ bit distracted as he went to grab his own, caught off guard by the sight of Keith’s face. He was tan, that much Hunk had known from watching the way his hands work the coffee machines. Not quite as tanned as Lance, but enough to be able to tell that the sun had brought out some freckles across his face. He also had a jaw that could cut diamonds and a stare that probably freeze hell over with how icy it seemed. So why did it feel like Hunk was melting? Lance cleared his throat and Hunk finally seemed to snap out of whatever daze he had been in, finally taking his coffee. Keith had an unreadable expression on his face, though if he had to pin it, Hunk would call it confused. Not that he could blame him. 

“Uh. Enjoy your coffee,” Keith said, seemingly uncomfortable from the way that Hunk had been staring. 

“Thanks. You too…  _ Buddy. _ ” WHAT. THE. FUCK. Why did he say that? Holy shit. Before he could dig a deeper hole, Hunk felt himself being led away to one of the tables, most likely by Lance. And honestly? Thank the gods for that, because Hunk  _ knew  _ he must look like a tomato by now. Or a cooked lobster. Or maybe even a red bell pepper. 

“ _ Dude, _ ” Lance started, ushering Hunk into one of the chairs before sitting across from him. “What  _ was  _ that?”

“I don’t know,” Hunk groaned, his face falling into his hands as soon as they were free. 

“I do. You’re totally into the barista!” Lance said, almost too loudly. Hunk straightened up immediately, eyes wide. 

“Shhh! Shut up!” He glanced back at the counter, seeing Keith now working on another drink, seemingly unaware of his best friend’s intent to ruin his life. Good. Hopefully it’d stay that way. Lance merely gaped at him, clearly still in disbelief. 

“You  _ are, _ ” he said again, thankfully quieter this time. 

“What?  _ No. _ Me? Absolutely not,” Hunk said, though there was no denying how warm his face still felt. That, and the whole making a fool of himself in front of Keith thing. Yikes.

“Look,  _ buddy. _ ” Hunk groaned. “You’re talking to the love  _ master _ here. If anyone knows a good ol’ fashioned crush, it’s me.” Lance seemed awfully sure of himself on this one. Something told Hunk there was no getting out of this chat. 

“Okay, well, even if I  _ was _ into him, there’s no way he’d be into  _ me _ ,” Hunk countered, slouching back in his seat. “Especially after…  _ That. _ ”

“Seriously? It wasn’t even that bad. People say stuff like that all the time, dude. There’s a whole meme around it.”

Hunk let out another defiant groan, pulling his cup a little closer. If nothing else, maybe the coffee would at least take his mind off of the most embarrassing moment of his life that just played out. He sighed, bringing the cup up to his lips. As soon as the flavor hit his tongue, he practically melted all over again. It was  _ good. _ He’d even go as far as to call it  _ great.  _ Maybe even  _ the holy grail of all coffee never to be outdone by a stupid Keurig ever again. _ Lance seemed to share the sentiment, as Hunk heard a soft  _ holy shit  _ from his friend, who also had his cup raised. Hunk stole one more glance over at Keith, who seemed to be focused on adding whipped cream to three brightly colored drinks. He wanted to know more about him.

\---

After that first day, the Juniberry Cafe became as much a part of their routine as it could, seeing as though neither Hunk nor Lance could afford fancy cafe coffee  _ every  _ day. Today, though, was once of the days that they could. And, today, Hunk was feeling hopeful. The last few times they had gone in, Keith hadn’t been behind the counter, replaced by either a blonde girl (Hunk was pretty sure her name had been Romelle) or by a taller man with a weird undercut and a prosthetic arm named Shiro. But today? Keith would be there. Hopefully. If anything, Hunk was trying to manifest it. Hunk followed after Lance as he entered the cafe, trying not to look too hopeful as he scanned the small shop. So far, there was no Keith in sight… He felt his shoulders slump ever so slightly, earning him a clap on the back from Lance.

“Don’t feel bad, buddy. I’m sure he’ll be here sometime. We’ll just keep coming,” Lance said, offering his friend a smile. “He  _ does  _ work here, after all.”

Hunk sighed, nodding in agreement. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

“Have I ever been wrong?” 

“Depends on how much time you have for me to list every instance ever.”

Lance simply laughed, brushing him off as he strode up to the counter. Shiro was manning the register today, it seemed. Weirdly enough, there was no barista to be seen. Was he manning the whole shop by himself? That didn’t seem like a great idea, considering the usual morning rush… 

“Good morning! Welcome to the Juniberry Cafe! How can I help you today?” Shiro greeted with a bright smile. 

“Morning!” Lance replied, looking up at the menu board. “Can I get uhhh… A large caramel brulee coffee?” 

“Large caramel brulee, got it.” Shiro tapped at the screen. Hunk heard the kitchen door swing open, daring to steal a glance in that direction. There was Keith, a tray of fresh pastries in his hand. So Shiro wasn’t alone after all…

“Hunk? What do you want?” Lance asked, nudging his friend. 

“Oh. Could I do a brown sugar milk tea?” Hunk replied with a little smile. “And one of those, please.” He motioned to the pastries on Keith’s tray. They were definitely blueberry muffins. Hunk appreciated a good blueberry muffin. He stole another glance at Keith while Shiro tapped away at the screen, catching a ghost of a smile on his lips as he set one of the muffins aside. And then he looked up. Their eyes met for only a fraction of a second and Hunk could feel his heart beat faster. He quickly looked away, instead opting to pay as Shiro gave the drink slip over to Keith. 

“Thank you,” Hunk said to the cashier as the transaction ended.

“Thank  _ you, _ ” Shiro replied. “Have a nice day.”

“You too,” Lance replied for him, ushering Hunk along so that they could watch as Keith prepared their drinks. And what a show it was. His hair was tied up once again, this time in a messy little bun that showed off his sun tanned skin. Hunk could honestly watch him work all day if the thought of that wasn’t so creepy. There was something about the practiced way that Keith moved, so sure of himself and confident with the machines he used… But, honestly, a coffee shop was no place to be thirsting over anyone, least of all the employees. Though, Hunk supposed if he were to ever run into Keith outside of the cafe, he would come completely undone. 

“Caramel brulee for Lance?” Keith called, looking over at the two of them expectantly. “Brown sugar milk tea for Hunk?” 

The two of them approached the pickup counter to grab their drinks as Keith slid them over.

“And your muffin, too,” Keith said, looking up at Hunk. “Good choice.”

Hunk could feel the heat rising to his cheeks, unable to push it down. All he could do was hope that the barista didn’t notice. “Thank you.”  
Keith gave him a nod. “Enjoy your drinks.”

Hunk could only nod in return, not wanting to make a fool of himself  _ again. _

“Thanks man,” Lance provided, leading Hunk away to one of the tables. 

They took their seats and, much to Hunk’s relief, Lance didn’t say a word. He just took a sip of his coffee, shaking his head in disapproval. Hunk looked away, face slightly flushed. It didn’t help when his eyes wandered to the counter, where Keith and Shiro were now idly chatting. They seemed to be friends, given how they interacted versus how Keith had been with Allura. Why did he even care so much? If anything, this was just a fleeting crush and wouldn’t even mean anything a month or so down the road. But… Hunk just couldn’t help but be fixated on Keith.  _ Especially not when he made drinks like  _ this _ ,  _ Hunk thought to himself, taking a sip of his tea. It was like heaven in a cup. As someone who had an appreciation for the culinary arts, how could he not fall?

\---

“Dude, are you coming?” Lance called from their shared living room.

“Yeah, one sec.” Hunk pulled on his green plaid flannel over the yellow tee he was wearing, mussing up his hair in the mirror before finally leaving his room to meet Lance in the living room. Allura had invited them along to her birthday celebration tonight and, naturally, Lance had been looking forward to it ever since the offer came. That had been two weeks ago. It was the longest two weeks of Hunk’s life. It would either get better or worse after tonight and he was almost afraid to find out. Oh well.

“Pidge said they’ll be there tonight too,” Hunk commented, looking over at Lance as he pulled his shoes on.

“Awesome. I haven’t seen them in a while. Y’know, school and all.”

Hunk simply nodded, turning his attention to the laces on his worn out boots. Once the two of them were ready, they were out the door, with Lance driving them to Allura’s place. It took maybe fifteen minutes to arrive, but they were at the door much sooner. Allura greeted them with a big smile, embracing each of them. 

“Hunk! Lance! I’m so glad you came!” She said cheerfully.

“Of course!” Lance replied, grinning right back. “We couldn’t just  _ not  _ come see our favorite birthday girl!” 

“Yeah,” Hunk agreed. “Happy birthday Allura.”  
“Thank you both!” Allura ushered them inside and it was clear that she was rather popular, as there were quite a few people already there. From where he stood, Hunk could pick out a few familiar faces from the crowd. Pidge and Matt were already there, as well as Romelle from the cafe. As Allura led them further inside, telling them about the snacks and everything that she had. They were making their way to the kitchen when Hunk saw him. First it was Shiro, and then… Keith, with his head tilted back, laughing at something that he had said. He heard Allura giggle from behind him, leaning forward and urging him to _go._ And just like that, he was alone. And Keith was looking at him. Hunk felt frozen to the spot. 

Luckily enough, he didn’t have to move. Keith was making his way over, a small smile that could only be described as amused settled on his face.

“Hunk,” he said, now standing in front of the boy in question.

Hunk let out a nervous laugh, certain his face was red as a cooked lobster. “That’s me. Keith, right?”

Keith let out a short breath of laughter. “You got it  _ buddy. _ ”

Hunk let out a groan, shaking his head. “Please just forget about that. I am so sorry.”

Keith merely laughed again, brushing his hair behind his ear. It was down. For the first time since Hunk had met him, his hair was down. 

“Your hair looks nice,” Hunk commented before he could stop himself. That seemed to take Keith by surprise. He looked up at Hunk, his face tinted red.  _ Wow.  _

“Oh… You really think so..?” 

Hunk swallowed the lump in his throat before nodding. “Yeah…”

“Thanks…” 

They fell into silence, Keith scuffing his shoe against the floor in front of him. Hunk looked down, a smile tugging at his lips. 

“We have the same boots-”

“Do you want to go out sometime-”

“What?” They said in unison, both of their faces flushed.

“Uh. You go first,” Keith said, his cheeks rosy.

“No, no, I’m much more interested in what you were saying.”

Keith laughed, his nerves betraying him. “Do you wanna go out sometime?” He repeated, looking up at Hunk hopefully. 

“Absolutely, I would,” he replied, certain that if he were to blush any more, he’d pass out. 

Keith’s smile returned, though it was clear that he was trying to hold it back. “Cool. Awesome. Great. Um. Can I get your number then?”

Hunk nodded eagerly as Keith dug his phone out of his pocket, handing it over. Once Hunk had entered his information, Keith looked down at his phone. 

“I’ll text you so you have my number.”

_ unknown number: hey it’s keith  _

Honestly, he typed exactly how Hunk would have guessed that he would.

\---

  
A month had passed and, if anything, the Juniberry Cafe was an even bigger part of Hunk’s daily routine than he would’ve ever imagined. He stopped by a lot more often, sometimes for drinks, sometimes for muffins, but usually to see his  _ boyfriend  _ when he took his breaks. Each time, without fail, he was greeted with a stolen kiss and a cup that read  _ best buddy  _ in Keith’s messy handwriting. And honestly? He wouldn’t change that for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> hi again !! i hope you enjoyed this fic !! ii'd love to hear any thoughts, feelings, or constructive criticisms in the comments and i'll 100% take everything into consideration !! if you wanna connect with me directly, my insta is @robot.puppy and you can also see some of my art or find the linkks to my oc works there as well !!! thank you so much for reading !!!


End file.
